Honor Thy Mother

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I write occasionally about the ways in which my father influenced my independence, my decision making skills, and other traits that are very much woven into the fabric of my personality. But it is not often that I write about the ways in which my mom has shaped me as well. And today perhaps I should.

My mom, Pam, is a lead-by-example parent. She feels strongly about her own beliefs but never judges or puts down those with differing viewpoints. She accepts everyone as equals. Her approach is subtle; she's a great listener and always supports my plans to save the world, no matter how wacky!  

As I've grown older, I've been able to more clearly identify some specific things that make me truly appreciate the kind of parent she was to me. Some women are defined by motherhood in an absolute way. The kids' hobbies become her only hobbies, and homework/art projects/science fair submissions are mission critical and appear on each day's to-do list. Thankfully for me, this does not describe my mom.

While a loving and committed mother, she was very much her own person with her own hobbies. Front and center of those hobbies is, and always will be, tennis. She has been very active in the tennis community since before I was born and still plays at a very competitive (national) level, no doubt frustrating scores of players twice her size and half her age.  

She has instilled in me the notion that you're never too good to practice.  And that progress isn't necessarily about your win-rate, but about the self-improvement you've made through hard work and dedication. Despite more than a handful of trips to recreational tennis' greatest stage, she remains passionate about her athletic journey.

The last ten years have thrown a few major curve balls at us. It maybe would have been easy for her to settle into a dreary pocket of self-pity, with sadness for things lost.  Instead she has paved a new path for herself. A path that has led to experiences well outside her comfort zone (ahem, salsa dancing) and, I think, widened the way she sees the world.  

She has shown me, and everyone around her, what it means to venture into the unknown with grace.  That you don't need to know what lies around every corner, just to know that you're strong enough to face it. Whatever it is. 

So when I talk about my mom, it is always with pride and genuine appreciation for the things she's taught me.  I am grateful to have a truly positive role model in my life.

And what should every girl get to do once with her role model?  ROAD TRIP!!

My mom and I are leaving in a couple of weeks on a 2,200-mile adventure. I'm so excited to get to share this experience together. I'll be posting some pics to d&d, so be on the lookout. On the lookout literally and figuratively please....if you see us stranded on the side of the road, call AAA.  

Happy Mother's Day!

Run Love

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The past week was extremely difficult and emotional for most of us.  As athletes, as parents and children, as people of faith, and as humans, it's hard to imagine and to understand a purposeful and hateful motivation to harm others.  It goes against the very core of us and of the fundamental way in which most of us, hopefully all of us, live our lives.

Tuesday morning on my way to work, I couldn't help but hear a verse in a song I'd heard a thousand times, in a completely different way -- We're one/But we're not the same/We get to carry each other/Carry each other. U2 released "One" as a benefit single, with the proceeds going to AIDS research and it inspired this week's photo project. 
 
Leah Renae and I, like presumably thousands of others, ran a tribute mile in silence. It was our way to honor those injured in Boston, their families, and the communities that spent the rest of the week frightened and confused.  

The painful images that erupted (or in a few unfortunate cases, leaked) out of Boston will stay with many of us for some time, but there were also images of bravery, compassion, solidarity, and love that poured out of every city in this nation and beyond. We were reminded that while we are all, indeed different, we are also in this together. 

Communities of friends and strangers gathered for their own tribute runs, and we wanted to showcase those images.  This is our small contribution with the purpose to remind ourselves and each other that if all we take away from this week are the tragic images, then these hurtful monsters have won.  

Let us remember, this week and always, to carry each other. 

http://bit.ly/13pCCwb

Photos were submitted by you, our friends, and by fellow runners on Instagram.  Please click the image to launch the mosaic. We hope you enjoy the collection. 

 

If you get lost...

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Have you ever felt like life gets away from you? Like somewhere along the way you got distracted and when you finally look up, you don't recognize anything? Well it happens to me every once in a while. When I was a kid my parents always said that if I got lost just to stay put and that would make me easier to find. So that's what I'm doing in my own adult way.
Life got hectic and busy and began to control me so I'm slowing down, stopping the craziness, sticking to what I enjoy and what makes me happy.

1. I'm overhauling my house. With all the craziness in the last year or so the upkeep has taken a back seat. But this is my home so I'm getting down and dirty fixing fences, painting walls, pulling weeds, planting flowers and fixing cracks. Im not spending crazy amounts of money but plenty if hard work and sweat equity will go into these projects. It's so rewarding to me to see this house become my home.

2. I'm also taking a break from my regular workout routine. Instead of pedal to the medal, intense, CrossFit workouts 6 days a week, I've been simply running. Me and my dog, wrestling with my own thoughts. It saves me 40 minutes of drive time everyday too! I feel a different sense of accomplishment because I choose get up to run and work out on my own. Ill go back to CrossFit one of these days. Most likely after I either lose momentum and need a little extra workout accountability or I become excellent at running and decide to add weight training back in. (Whichever comes first)
3. I've learned that while 90% paleo 100% of the time is ok. My recent 90% paleo 10% of the time is not ok! Ha ha DUH! 3 days into paleo and honestly I already feel better. The food tastes better because its fresh, natural and full of real flavors. I feel more satisfied, I stay full longer and I just feel healthier.
4. I've also been spending more time in the Word. While this has always been part of my daily grind, I've decided to take a deep breath, sit back and relax and enjoy it. I want to meditate on Him and His Word and allow Him to work in my life and be my peace of mind.

I guess sometimes when life seems out of control, you have to decide if your gonna allow all that "stuff" to define you and continue to drive you crazy. It's not always easy to turn the tide, slow down and focus on the things you enjoy. But it's worth it!

What one thing you can do to slow down and enjoy life?

Fresh starts

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Day 2 of running and 100% paleo.
While I've been consistently crossfiting for a year and a half now, my running ability has not improved very much... I hate running and I've never met another human who enjoys running with me. Basically because my running pace is equal to 90% of the populations walking pace.
But I want to change that for 2 reasons. #1 I've heard running can be therapeutic. I certainly hope that feeling starts soon bc right now it's 10 mins of pain!!! #2 I'm not great when it comes to the endurance part of any WOD. Give me a really heavy barbell and tell me to lift it a few times and I'm happy, give me a light barbell and tell me to lift it 21-15-9 times and i sputter out before coach yells to GO!
I know this is just a mental barrier. But I've gotta start somewhere and my hope is that working up to running 2 or 3 miles with a vest on will teach me stamina, endurance and pacing.
My goal is to be able to run 3 miles without a vest by may 15th. I'd like to be able to run 1 mile with a vest by then too.


Here's a pic of the shoes I'm running in. Can't wait till they make friends with my shins and calves. OUCH! Oh and my running buddy.

A baby step is still a step...

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Obviously Ive been MIA. And believe me if you gave me 5 minutes I could fill it with excuses. Most of them would be perfectly acceptable excuses too. But excuses never got anything done. After months of writing posts and not posting them bc of my own insecurities I've decided this blog is important to me in so many ways and I'm going to stop neglecting its therapeutic release.

So here I am ripping off the bandage and taking the first baby step back to writing. I'm coming back.

I want to find the joy in life and movement and exercising and living and share it with whoever cares to listen. While also sometimes confronting personal demons and failures that hold me down.
Weather it be 1 photo, a paragraph, a video, or a full on confession... Ready or not here I come!

What baby step can you take today?

Change Haters

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There are two kinds of people I think. The people that hate change, and everyone else. 


I can see how and why it could make a person uncomfortable. We get used to our routines, find comfort in them even. And to lose the familiarity of the people and places we see everyday, of knowing what's coming next, is unsettling.

This is not the case for me. I don't mind change. You might say that I crave it. I've been called a quitter and a runner at more than one crossroad in my life. I've learned to see my choices, not as running away from something, but rather running toward something else. Toward something new from which I will surely procure a priceless little nugget of knowledge about myself or the world around me.  

All kinds of things need change in order to survive; car tires, molting reptiles, judges on American Idol. It's almost always worth the effort to adapt. Don't box yourself into a comfortable and predictable life. Don't be a change hater. 

Is Your Work Space Working Against You?

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I am now five weeks into twice-weekly physical therapy for a shoulder impingement. Since I was active in CrossFit, tennis, softball, and yoga, I assumed that either a sudden or gradual shoulder injury could have happened due to any one, or any combination, of these activities.What I was not expecting, was to learn that my injury was, at minimum, a partial result of my work station.  

Like an increasing number of desk-sentenced folks I have a multi-monitor set-up. As you can see, I also often have one or more documents directly in front of me with a sliding keyboard tray and mouse rest.  Since I use two monitors, this small mouse rest is typically not big enough for me to scroll from the left monitor to the right in one motion, and putting down the mouse mid-sweep is very inefficient.  This caused me to keep the mouse directly on the desk.  However, then I was reaching the full distance across the keyboard to use it.

 One of the first things my physical therapist asked me to do was to have someone photograph me sitting at my desk. He could tell immediately my work space posture was part of my problem and why my recovery, despite taking several weeks off of activity, was not progressing.

  

Notice the space between me and the back of the chair, and that my arms/elbows are unsupported. This hunched position was forcing my shoulders forward and creating further impingement. I have since made some adjustments as part of my rehab plan and have generally become more cognizant of my posture and the way I move/use my body during the day.

   

Let's review some tips about workplace posture:  

OSHA recommends the following:

• Hands, wrists, and forearms are straight, in-line and roughly parallel to the floor
• Shoulders are relaxed and upper arms hang normally to the side of the body 
• Elbows stay in close and are bent between 90 and 120 degrees (like a Dinosaur!) 
• Feet are supported by the floor or a footrest
• Back is fully supported when sitting vertical or leaning back slightly
• Seat and hips are fully supported by a well-padded seat and are generally parallel to the floor
• Knees are about the same height as hips  

This means no sitting on one leg, or sitting cross-legged in your chair. Avoid slouching or leaning to one armrest. If you are bound to a chair all day, be sure to get up and stretch or walk around on a regular basis.
 
The jury seems to still be out on using an exercise ball in lieu of a chair. I'm in no way an expert on the subject but it seems that what you gain in core activation you lose in back support. I know that I always seem to have a difficult time keeping good posture when there is no back support....think bar stool...however perhaps that's due to another reason entirely :) 

I encourage you all to take a minute today, or next week if you're already home and hunkered down for the blizzard, to really think about your work space and if it's working with or against your health and fitness goals. Benefits of perfect form at the gym can easily be undone by poor form at work.